LFD Cables (phono and I.C.) from the UK, cables as components
- Thread starter Mike Lavigne
- Start date
PR13, are you trying to buy thru Alternative Audio in the SW? Peter is the dealer for my Nat amps, I can ask on your behalf.
Hi spiritofmusic, yes it's Peter I have been corresponding with but emails seem to just linger! I guess he is just very busy.
The pandemic has slowed everything. You're not the only one, I'm waiting on a reply myself. I can nudge him your way.
PM me with yr details.
PM me with yr details.
Would you kindly nudge him for me. It's ref a power cable with a Furutech Au UK mains option. Thanks spiritofmusic
Bitten by an LFD Scorpion !!
Like most of us, I have spent a good few hard earned hifi tokens on box swapping in search of the end game sound. Obviously chasing one's tail in the process. I was advised by Mik @Unique audio to concentrate on optimising my system and the components I had and stop chasing the tail! By this he meant to optimise and tune the system using it's sound of the components as the foundation and add a different dimension to the sound using cabling!
Now I must be honest, I was very sceptical this could be achieved, as the age old fora cable debate is hard to ignore and also the lure of a new box of a component change with all the excitement/ fear/ trepidation that comes with such a purchase, is far more attractive.
Anyway the LFD Scorpion was inserted into the system between Power & Pre amp. Pre being AD Audio Satchmo and the Power being Jadis JA30 monos
I won't delve into the hifi cliché superlatives, but just say it revealed what was missing and delivered more air, space, scale and weight then I thought possible by one component change (let's call the cable a component, as it's that important imho!, not an accessory)
To achieve air, space, weight and authority in the presentation is a bloody difficult thing to do and usually it leans one way or another. The LFD Scorpion has really delivered. It may not be the cable for many systems, but i'm sure with the many different LFD cable constructions and flavours, there is one out there to tune most systems to it's optimum 10/10
Like most of us, I have spent a good few hard earned hifi tokens on box swapping in search of the end game sound. Obviously chasing one's tail in the process. I was advised by Mik @Unique audio to concentrate on optimising my system and the components I had and stop chasing the tail! By this he meant to optimise and tune the system using it's sound of the components as the foundation and add a different dimension to the sound using cabling!
Now I must be honest, I was very sceptical this could be achieved, as the age old fora cable debate is hard to ignore and also the lure of a new box of a component change with all the excitement/ fear/ trepidation that comes with such a purchase, is far more attractive.
Anyway the LFD Scorpion was inserted into the system between Power & Pre amp. Pre being AD Audio Satchmo and the Power being Jadis JA30 monos
I won't delve into the hifi cliché superlatives, but just say it revealed what was missing and delivered more air, space, scale and weight then I thought possible by one component change (let's call the cable a component, as it's that important imho!, not an accessory)
To achieve air, space, weight and authority in the presentation is a bloody difficult thing to do and usually it leans one way or another. The LFD Scorpion has really delivered. It may not be the cable for many systems, but i'm sure with the many different LFD cable constructions and flavours, there is one out there to tune most systems to it's optimum 10/10
Earlier this week I visited Mik. Although we had spoken very regularly on the phone I hadn't seen him since last year. I am very happy to report how well he was looking. He has made a lot of progress since contracting Covid but he is still receiving some follow up care from our excellent NHS.
The purpose of the visit was to listen to his new SOTA LFD cables which he and Dr Richard Bews have developed recently. Mik has been singing their praises to me and now having heard them I can well understand why. I should,however, add that you will need very deep pockets to own a pair.
We listened to them through a top of the range Systemdek, one off diamond tipped Koetsu and a one off Blue Pearl with an Accoustat arm. The rest of the system was his usual heavily modded Rockport speakers, CS Port amps and his again modified Aesthetix phono stage.
We listened to an audiophile Holly Cole disc, Analogue productions I think and an Impex Charlie Mingus.
On my last visit thee three turntables we used were his modded Rocport Sirius, the CS Port turntable and an SPJ which I posted previously. All three had sounded superb as I reported so I was looking forward to this visit.
The differences and the improvements were apparent immediately. Outstanding as was the sound on the previous visit the new cables significantly improved upon it. It was the best recorded sound that I have ever heard. So close to the real thing. Incredible fidelity with lots of body and discernment and a beautiful musical sound with not the slightest hint of any danger of listening fatigue. The sound with both turntables was much more natural than on the previous occasion with wonderful articulation of Holly Cole's voice and Charlie Mingus's brass playing. I am not very famliar with either artist but they could not have been better served.
Mil likened the effect of the cables to a major component upgrade and I can only agrree.
Some photos of this new cable are attached below. At the moment they do not have a name.
Also below are a couple of photos of a new tonearm cable, again unamed, at a more modest price of circa £4.5k. I have one on order and will post my reactions to it in my system quite soon.
A memorable experience and my thanks to Mik for letting me experience these uber cables.
The purpose of the visit was to listen to his new SOTA LFD cables which he and Dr Richard Bews have developed recently. Mik has been singing their praises to me and now having heard them I can well understand why. I should,however, add that you will need very deep pockets to own a pair.
We listened to them through a top of the range Systemdek, one off diamond tipped Koetsu and a one off Blue Pearl with an Accoustat arm. The rest of the system was his usual heavily modded Rockport speakers, CS Port amps and his again modified Aesthetix phono stage.
We listened to an audiophile Holly Cole disc, Analogue productions I think and an Impex Charlie Mingus.
On my last visit thee three turntables we used were his modded Rocport Sirius, the CS Port turntable and an SPJ which I posted previously. All three had sounded superb as I reported so I was looking forward to this visit.
The differences and the improvements were apparent immediately. Outstanding as was the sound on the previous visit the new cables significantly improved upon it. It was the best recorded sound that I have ever heard. So close to the real thing. Incredible fidelity with lots of body and discernment and a beautiful musical sound with not the slightest hint of any danger of listening fatigue. The sound with both turntables was much more natural than on the previous occasion with wonderful articulation of Holly Cole's voice and Charlie Mingus's brass playing. I am not very famliar with either artist but they could not have been better served.
Mil likened the effect of the cables to a major component upgrade and I can only agrree.
Some photos of this new cable are attached below. At the moment they do not have a name.
Also below are a couple of photos of a new tonearm cable, again unamed, at a more modest price of circa £4.5k. I have one on order and will post my reactions to it in my system quite soon.
A memorable experience and my thanks to Mik for letting me experience these uber cables.
Attachments
As promised in my previous post above the new LFD Special Build New Gen arm lead from Mik (108CY) has arrived and was installed in my SMW 20/3, SME V, Etsuro Bordeaux turntable set up last Friday.
As hopefully the earlier photos show it is beautifully built and although quite thick is fleible which helps installation and use.It replaced the stock SME cable.Currently it is being used with a Goldnote PH10 Phonostage + PSU pending the arrival of a Luxman EQ 500 which is heavily delayed as a result of Luxman's difficulty in sourcing the requisite parts, but I have to say that the Goldnote is remarkably good for its price point.
First impressions therefore and hugely favourable. Substantial improvements from the word go. More powerful sound was apparent immediately as was the significant improvement in sound quality after only a few tracks.
So much more musical information/tonal density . First class dynamics and timing with a very natural sounding tone. Different instruments and placings were very clearly audible and on Ryan Adams, Live at Carnegie Hall, the inflexions of his voice and singing were outstanding as was his guitar playing on this accoustic album.
The Haydyn Cello Concerto No 1 on the famous EMI Du Pre/ Barbirolli box set was real treat to listen to. The cello came over very convincingly, clear and full, with the orchestra spread out beyond the speakers. A full atmospheric sound with the warmth of the cello combining effortlessly with the strings and other instruments of the orchestra. The MCA 180 grm vinyl Buddy Holly with its tracks from 1957 sounded better than ever catching the the timing and dynamics of both Holly and the guitar accompaniment.
The jump in sound quality was undoubtedly greater than I have experienced from some past component upgrades.At £4.5k it is obviously a significant sum of money for a tonearm cable but certainly very good value for money. I am sure it would improve many systems significantly and prove to be a very cost effective upgrade in them as it has been in mine.
It will proably take about 100hrs playing time before it is burnt in fully and will then sound even better, but at this early stage I can recommend it without any reservations.
I will let it it burn in and settle for a while before reporting further, but very satisfied with this purchase,
As hopefully the earlier photos show it is beautifully built and although quite thick is fleible which helps installation and use.It replaced the stock SME cable.Currently it is being used with a Goldnote PH10 Phonostage + PSU pending the arrival of a Luxman EQ 500 which is heavily delayed as a result of Luxman's difficulty in sourcing the requisite parts, but I have to say that the Goldnote is remarkably good for its price point.
First impressions therefore and hugely favourable. Substantial improvements from the word go. More powerful sound was apparent immediately as was the significant improvement in sound quality after only a few tracks.
So much more musical information/tonal density . First class dynamics and timing with a very natural sounding tone. Different instruments and placings were very clearly audible and on Ryan Adams, Live at Carnegie Hall, the inflexions of his voice and singing were outstanding as was his guitar playing on this accoustic album.
The Haydyn Cello Concerto No 1 on the famous EMI Du Pre/ Barbirolli box set was real treat to listen to. The cello came over very convincingly, clear and full, with the orchestra spread out beyond the speakers. A full atmospheric sound with the warmth of the cello combining effortlessly with the strings and other instruments of the orchestra. The MCA 180 grm vinyl Buddy Holly with its tracks from 1957 sounded better than ever catching the the timing and dynamics of both Holly and the guitar accompaniment.
The jump in sound quality was undoubtedly greater than I have experienced from some past component upgrades.At £4.5k it is obviously a significant sum of money for a tonearm cable but certainly very good value for money. I am sure it would improve many systems significantly and prove to be a very cost effective upgrade in them as it has been in mine.
It will proably take about 100hrs playing time before it is burnt in fully and will then sound even better, but at this early stage I can recommend it without any reservations.
I will let it it burn in and settle for a while before reporting further, but very satisfied with this purchase,
below is an answer to this question on the DaVa thread. i'm trying to divert 'dongle' and LFD questions away from the DaVa thread to respect DaVa info.
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seriously; a 'dongle' is a work-around for any interconnect interface limitation. since the DIN connector is a particularly restrictive interface, and the signal there is tiny and vulnerable, with little space for the 4 interconnect wires coming together, the most obvious spot for a dongle. so seriously 'mental' obsessed listeners build 'contraptions' both for inside chassis and outside chassis to optimize signal flow. these are nothing any commercial product might ever have. for extreme approaches only. "Natural Sound" (TM) folks would soil themselves even having the thought about it cross their mind (the extreme opposite of their thinking).
easy to roll one's eyes and snicker. but best to listen if you get a chance. we go crazy about all sorts of things in this hobby.....this is just one more thing like that. not better or worse. it just is. no different than rolling tubes. or resonance approaches. or even circuit parts choices. cables as components.
the wires inside the dongle are chosen, sized and assembled without normal wire limitations and tuned. it turns out that the last few inches of a cable can have significantly greater signal significance than the main length. so you can put more into it. you can see in Sam's pics he uses a dongle at the preamp end of his interconnect and it's a crazy looking dongle without any sleeve; it's naked. so no rules. Sam was able to spend some extended listening time at Mik's auditioning these beasts and had to have a few. i've bought my one "on faith" with Mik.
Mik teases me that i'm in love with pretty things (gear, tt's arms, etc....stuff i can see), but don't appreciate the significance of what wires can do for the music. it's where he has really gone crazy. but it's a hard subject to talk about as it's hard to relate to. and he is right about how people judge things and what attracts people to gear. and don't confuse crazy commercial cables with what Mik is doing. this is not in any way about packaging....or marketing.....or vertical distribution networks.
the LFD dongle i bought from MIk is mid way (or maybe lower level) up the 'crazy' meter of exotic dongles. Mik is going to provide me with some specific build details from LFD (Richard Bews) for mine. for a few years Mik and i have spoken about how big a leap these things can push things. he finally tipped me over since i already had the LFD Raptor on hand which can be partnered with the dongle.
as far as what it affects my initial impression is of a level of overall musical calmness and expansiveness, along with hearing deep into the music. the DaVa had been a bit rough sounding compared to my Etsuro Golds. now it's equal or better in refinement. and adding other things, the dongle is new and fresh and just starting to open up.
is there a trade-off besides cost? nothing at all i can hear. ask me in 6 months.
*****************************
seriously; a 'dongle' is a work-around for any interconnect interface limitation. since the DIN connector is a particularly restrictive interface, and the signal there is tiny and vulnerable, with little space for the 4 interconnect wires coming together, the most obvious spot for a dongle. so seriously 'mental' obsessed listeners build 'contraptions' both for inside chassis and outside chassis to optimize signal flow. these are nothing any commercial product might ever have. for extreme approaches only. "Natural Sound" (TM) folks would soil themselves even having the thought about it cross their mind (the extreme opposite of their thinking).
easy to roll one's eyes and snicker. but best to listen if you get a chance. we go crazy about all sorts of things in this hobby.....this is just one more thing like that. not better or worse. it just is. no different than rolling tubes. or resonance approaches. or even circuit parts choices. cables as components.
the wires inside the dongle are chosen, sized and assembled without normal wire limitations and tuned. it turns out that the last few inches of a cable can have significantly greater signal significance than the main length. so you can put more into it. you can see in Sam's pics he uses a dongle at the preamp end of his interconnect and it's a crazy looking dongle without any sleeve; it's naked. so no rules. Sam was able to spend some extended listening time at Mik's auditioning these beasts and had to have a few. i've bought my one "on faith" with Mik.
Mik teases me that i'm in love with pretty things (gear, tt's arms, etc....stuff i can see), but don't appreciate the significance of what wires can do for the music. it's where he has really gone crazy. but it's a hard subject to talk about as it's hard to relate to. and he is right about how people judge things and what attracts people to gear. and don't confuse crazy commercial cables with what Mik is doing. this is not in any way about packaging....or marketing.....or vertical distribution networks.
the LFD dongle i bought from MIk is mid way (or maybe lower level) up the 'crazy' meter of exotic dongles. Mik is going to provide me with some specific build details from LFD (Richard Bews) for mine. for a few years Mik and i have spoken about how big a leap these things can push things. he finally tipped me over since i already had the LFD Raptor on hand which can be partnered with the dongle.
as far as what it affects my initial impression is of a level of overall musical calmness and expansiveness, along with hearing deep into the music. the DaVa had been a bit rough sounding compared to my Etsuro Golds. now it's equal or better in refinement. and adding other things, the dongle is new and fresh and just starting to open up.
is there a trade-off besides cost? nothing at all i can hear. ask me in 6 months.
Mike, I find this LFD dongle to be an interesting addition and look forward to reading more about what it does and how it sounds in time. Do you think that the potential exists for other cable manufacturers to explore this new area? Has Mik tried one at each end of an IC? Could they be considered for trial on Ron's 50' long IC run as a way to avoid a super expensive alternative?
appreciate your interest.
i've spoken to Mik about this part quite a bit. building these dongles is expensive and especially labor intensive. and they even use rods of metal as opposed to wire. commercial cable companies likely can't see the marketability of these approaches for a good ROI. so seeing high end cable brands doing this is unlikely.
yes. ask him about it.
maybe, agree that makes sense. but i'm just guessing.
Hi Mike!
So a “dongle” is a jumper cable to disintermediate the interconnect from the component?
So a “dongle” is a jumper cable to disintermediate the interconnect from the component?
technically; a 'dongle' is a short rca i.c. (or XLR) extension. with male plugs on one end and female plugs on the other end. might be 4, or 5, or 10, or 11 inches long. when i bought my top of line Tara Labs super interconnects back 6 years ago the air dielectric cables were so thick (2") that Tara Labs provided short dongles so they could fit into tight preamp plug situations. so a dongle might not be intended for a performance boost. and they could be used on either end of the interconnect.
these LFD dongles are stuffed full of out of box thinking and extreme (relative to conventional cables) metallurgy.
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“ you can see in Sam's pics he uses a dongle at the preamp end of his interconnect and it's a crazy looking dongle without any sleeve; it's naked. so no rules. Sam was able to spend some extended listening time at Mik's auditioning these beasts and had to have a few. i've bought my one "on faith" with Mik.”
mike you seem to explained the concept dongles and super dongles very well
I am sure mik and Richard can pitch in too for better insight….it’s really out of the box thinking close to black art / black magic !!….to most advanced vinyl users
but lo and behold the sonic attributes are only evident once you listen to them….
each dongle has its own magic
I was very fortunate to have had multiple long extensive listening sessions with mik …using each and every option available…strange but tru each combo or items on its own have their plus and minus ….you choose what floats your sonic boat
major down side …..never listen in mik’s audio room !!.very alive and looks random with units everywhere and all standard specialist acoustic programs stripped away ….but the sound just comes together !!!…probably one of the best rooms I’ve heard
probably like the greats in this forum , David’s , mikeL, tango and jack and many many more !
fortunately I did have the chance to listen to multiple options at home
dongles of different sizes ….they again showed its advantages and down side ….the more variable you try ….the more patient you’ll have to be to get things just right in your head!,
Peter , I have tried the super dongles on both ends of the golden cobra at the phono end and the preamp end .
i preferred using the 7mm super dongle on the the preamp end on the golden cobra LFD …..you do need to mindfull of the escalating cost !!
I am sure , for most it will sound stupid …but it’s like going where no man has gone before….but if you don’t….you will not be aware of all the magic of the dark side !!
do try if you have the chance to listen to them
great that mike bought with blind faith in mik !….
enclosed some pics of some of the super dongles I did try at home
the first set is the super duper 7mm dongle …the one I use
2nd was my favourite.5.5mm dongle
various 4.5mm …maximum returns for money spend …a little delicate
finally the 6.mm and another 7.mm super dongles
I am sure mik and Richard have new ones too
mike you seem to explained the concept dongles and super dongles very well
I am sure mik and Richard can pitch in too for better insight….it’s really out of the box thinking close to black art / black magic !!….to most advanced vinyl users
but lo and behold the sonic attributes are only evident once you listen to them….
each dongle has its own magic
I was very fortunate to have had multiple long extensive listening sessions with mik …using each and every option available…strange but tru each combo or items on its own have their plus and minus ….you choose what floats your sonic boat
major down side …..never listen in mik’s audio room !!.very alive and looks random with units everywhere and all standard specialist acoustic programs stripped away ….but the sound just comes together !!!…probably one of the best rooms I’ve heard
probably like the greats in this forum , David’s , mikeL, tango and jack and many many more !
fortunately I did have the chance to listen to multiple options at home
dongles of different sizes ….they again showed its advantages and down side ….the more variable you try ….the more patient you’ll have to be to get things just right in your head!,
Peter , I have tried the super dongles on both ends of the golden cobra at the phono end and the preamp end .
i preferred using the 7mm super dongle on the the preamp end on the golden cobra LFD …..you do need to mindfull of the escalating cost !!
I am sure , for most it will sound stupid …but it’s like going where no man has gone before….but if you don’t….you will not be aware of all the magic of the dark side !!
do try if you have the chance to listen to them
great that mike bought with blind faith in mik !….
enclosed some pics of some of the super dongles I did try at home
the first set is the super duper 7mm dongle …the one I use
2nd was my favourite.5.5mm dongle
various 4.5mm …maximum returns for money spend …a little delicate
finally the 6.mm and another 7.mm super dongles
I am sure mik and Richard have new ones too
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Transfer to the current thread on LFD and dongles and super dongles which I use at home
sorry Mike for posting LFD and dongles on your daVa thread
sorry Mike for posting LFD and dongles on your daVa thread
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Sam, many thanks for adding your information here.
i wonder if all this will scare
anyone away? it's is a bit halloween and goblins sort of stuff. maybe helps if you listen with the lights dim.
i wonder if all this will scare
anyone away? it's is a bit halloween and goblins sort of stuff. maybe helps if you listen with the lights dim. Sam, many thanks for adding your information here.
i wonder if all this will scare
I don’t think it will scare folks away, Mike. I think it will more intrigue people who presumably would want to understand how these dongles actually work based on the science. That is how does one arrive at the choice of various thicknesses? Why does the negative have so much more wire than the positive? What are the capacitance measurements pre and post dongle insertion? What materials are preferred and why? What governs choice of dongle length? Does the dongle preserve shielding if the preceding interconnects are also shielded? What is the inductance pre / post dongle insertion? Is the dongle behaving as a filter - if so what frequencies is it acting on? Is a dongle universal or only suited to specific components for which it is designed electrically?
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